5tr  \T-/9r 


The  PREPARATION  of 
MISSIONARIES 
for  LITERARY  WORK 


This  report  is  typical  of  others  representing  highly 
speciali2ed  phases  of  missionary  effort  which  may 
be  prepared,  if  called  for,  in  the  future.  Before 
issuing  it  in  a permanent  edition,  or  preparing  other 
reports  like  it,  the  Board  desires  a wide-ranging 
missionary  criticism  and  will  welcome  every  pos- 
sible suggestion. 


BOARD  OF  MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 

25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York 


BOARD  OF  MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 


Prof.  Frederick  L.  Anderson,  D.D.  Pres.  W.  Douglas  Mackenzie,  D.D. 
The  Rev.  James  L.  Barton,  D.D.  John  R.  Mott,  LL.D. 

Prof.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  D.D.  The  Rev.  Frank  Mason  North,  D.D. 

David  Bovaird,  M.D.  Principal  T.  R.  O’Meara,  D.D. 

Prof.  O.  E.  Brown,  D.D.  Pres.  C.  T.  Paul,  Ph.D. 

Prof.  Ernest  De  Witt  Burton,  D.D.  Prof.  Henry  B.  Robins,  Ph.D. 

Miss  Helen  B.  Calder  Dean  James  E.  Russell,  LL.D. 

Prof.  Edward  W.  Capen,  Ph.D.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Ph.D. 

Prof.  W.  O.  Carver,  D.D.  Miss  Una  Saunders 

The  Rev.  Wm.  I.  Chamberlain,  Ph.D.  Prof.  E.  D.  Soper,  D.D. 

The  Rev.  George  Drach  Robert  E.  Speer,  D.D. 

The  Rev.  James  Endicott,  D.D.  Pres.  J.  Ross  Stevenson,  D.D. 

Prof.  Daniel  J.  Fleming,  Ph.D.  Fennell  P.  Turner 

Dean  H.  E.  W.  Fosbroke,  D.D.  Pres.  Addie  Grace  Wardle,  Ph.D. 

Pres.  Henry  C.  King,  D.D.  The  Rev.  Charles  R.  Watson,  D.D. 

Prof.  Walter  L.  Lingle,  D.D.  The  Rev.  Stanley  White,  D.D. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  S.  Lloyd,  D.D.  Pres.  Wilbert  W.  White,  Ph.D. 

The  Rev.  R.  P.  Mackay,  D.D.  Pres.  Mary  E.  Woolley,  Litt.D. 

W.  DOUGLAS  MACKENZIE,  Chairman 
FENNELL  P.  TURNER,  Secretary 
WILLIAM  I.  CHAMBERLAIN,  Treasurer 

REV.  FRANK  K.  SANDERS,  Ph.D.,  Director 
25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York 


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THE  PREPARATION  OF  MISSIONARIES  l Sn 
FOR  LITERARY  WORK 

THE  REPORT  OF  A COMMITTEE  APPOINTED  BY 

THE  Aboard  of  missionary  preparation 


Professor  Edmund  D.  Soper,  D.D.,  Chairman 
The  Reverend  Morris  W.  Ehnes 
The  Reverend  Sidney  L.  Gulick,  D.D. 

The  Reverend  Fred  P.  Haggard,  D.D. 

The  Reverend  S.  G.  Inman 
Professor  John  P.  Jones,  D.D. 

President  Henry  C.  King,  D.D. 

D.  Willard  Lyon,  D.D. 

The  Reverend  D.  MacGillivray,  D.D. 

The  Reverend  J.  Lovell  Murray 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Northrup,  M.A. 

Mrs  Henry  W.  Peabody 

The  Reverend  S.  H.  Wainwright,  D.D.,  M.D. 
The  Reverend  Howard  A.  Walter 
The  Reverend  Stanley  White,  D.D. 

Dean  Talcott  Williams,  LL.D. 

Dean  Walter  Williams,  LL.D. 

Professor  Clinton  T.  Wood,  M.A. 

The  Reverend  Samuel  M.  Zwemer,  D.D. 


Board  of  Missionary  Preparation 
25  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  City 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/preparationofmis00boar_3 


PREFACE 


The  following  report  has  been  prepared  by  the  Board  of 
Missionary  Preparation  in  response  to  the  urgent  plea  of 
a conference  held  early  in  1915,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Committee  on  Literature  of  the  Continuation  Committee 
of  the  World  Missionary  Conference.  It  was  thought  at 
first  that  a brief  statement  to  be  appended  to  a general 
report  on  the  Preparation  of  Educational  Missionaries 
would  suffice.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Missionary  Preparation  appointed,  at  its  meeting  held 
March  23,  1915,  a special  committee  to  formulate  such  a 
statement.  This  committee,  composed  of  Dr.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer, 
Chairman;  Dr.  J.  P.  Jones,  Mr.  D.  W.  Lyon,  Mr.  F.  P. 
Turner  and  Dr.  S.  H.  Wainwright,  together  with  the 
Director,  held  a meeting  on  April  24,  1915.  After  full 
discussion,  this  committee  made  the  following  recommen- 
dation : 

After  thoughtful  consideration  of  the  request  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation,  it  is  the  judg- 
ment of  this  special  committee  that  the  end  in  view  will  not  be 
most  helpfully  attained  by  the  modification  of  the  report  on  the 
preparation  of  educational  missionaries. 

The  committee,  therefore,  recommends  that  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  take  steps  to 
organize  a special  committee  to  report  on  preparation  for  literary 
work,  possibly  dividing  into  two  sections  on  vernacular  literature 
and  on  literary  work  in  English. 

Acting  upon  this  recommendation  a committee  was  duly 
organized  with  membership  as  given  on  another  page  of 
this  report.  This  committee  completed  its  first  report  in 
the  fall  of  1916,  and  presented  it  at  the  annual  meeting 
in  December.  The  Board  gave  it  a general  discussion  at 
that  meeting  and  ordered  its  printing  for  more  adequate 
criticism.  Since  then  the  report  has  undergone  the  careful 

iii 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 

scrutiny  of  each  member  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Prep- 
aration. It  was  presented  also  at  the  January,  1917,  meet- 
ing of  the  Foreign  Missions  Conference  and  later  given  the 
personal  attention  of  most  of  the  Foreign  Secretaries  and 
of  the  specialists  of  the  Mission  Boards  of  North  America. 
Meanwhile,  each  member  of  the  committee  which  in  itself 
represented  a wide  range  of  literary  experience,  was  urged 
to  give  the  report  most  exacting  consideration.  Out  of 
the  many  suggestions  thus  obtained  the  basis  was  laid  for 
a thorough-going  revision  of  the  report  which  is  now 
presented  to  the  constituency  of  the  Board  for  its  candid 
consideration. 

The  questions  which  this  report  seeks  to  answer  are  very 
perplexing.  They  cannot  be  treated  dogmatically.  It  is 
hoped  that  such  a conservative  presentation  as  that  made 
herein  by  the  Committee  on  Preparation  for  Literary  Work 
will,  on  the  one  hand,  guard  against  the  natural  impulse 
of  candidates  with  literary  ability  to  wish  to  specialize  in 
literary  work  too  soon  and,  on  the  other,  conserve  such 
ability,  when  coupled  at  least  with  the  requisite  qualities 
and  experience,  for  this  highly  needed  type  of  special  mis- 
sionary service. 

Frank  K.  Sanders, 

Director  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation. 

September,  1917. 


IV 


CONTENTS 


I.  The  Need  for  Literary  Work  and  Workers 1 

1.  The  Function  of  Literature  in  Missionary  Work 3 

2.  The  Present  Opportunity  and  Need 5 

3.  The  Forms  of  Literature  and  Kinds  of  Workers  Needed. . 10 

II.  The  Qualifications  of  the  Literary  Worker 14 

1.  The  Great  Essentials 15 

2.  The  Literary  Gift 16 

3.  The  Special  Knowledge  Necessary  for  the  Literary 

Worker  17 

III.  The  Selection  and  Designation  of  Literary  Workers..  19 

IV.  The  Preparation  of  the  Literary  Worker 21 


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THE  PREPAIL\TION  OF  MISSIONARIES  FOR 
LITERARY  WORK 

The  following  report  was  undertaken  in  response  to  the 
request  of  those  who  are  deeply  interested  in  the  right 
solution  of  the  important  problem  of  producing  a true, 
Christian  literature  in  lands  now  quickening  into  self-con- 
sciousness, studying  their  own  ideals  and  interpreting  their 
own  history.  It  is  unique  in  that  it  touches  on  the  activity 
of  a comparatively  small  number  of  those  who  devote  them- 
selves to  the  missionary  enterprise.  Literary  work  at  its 
best  is  a highly  specialized  form  of  missionary  activity. 
Every  missionary  recognizes  its  importance;  many,  con- 
scious of  a real  message  to  their  people,  have  been  notably 
useful  in  meeting  its  demands,  even  when  bearing  crushing 
burdens  of  another  sort.  There  is  a growing  feeling,  how- 
ever, that  the  needs  of  the  future  will  call  for  an  increasing 
number  of  men  and  women,  who  will  be  set  apart,  by  their 
mission  or  by  several  missions  acting  cooperatively,  for  this 
important  work,  either  for  short  periods  of  time  or  per- 
manently, as  experience  or  circumstance  may  dictate.  The 
whole  task  of  literary  production  is  becoming  standardized 
and  cooperatively  managed  in  the  greater  regions  of  mis- 
sionary activity,  so  that  an  opportunity  is  given  to  the  one 
with  literary  power  which  has  in  the  past  been  almost 
unknown. 

I.  The  Need  for  Literary  Work  and  Workers 

No  man  or  woman  who  is  a candidate  for  the  mission 
field  is,  as  a rule,  given  an  immediate  appointment  to  literary 
work.  A literary  worker  develops  into  that  activity  on  the 
mission  field.  But  while  this  is  true,  the  choice  of  the  man 
or  woman  to  do  literary  work  must  proceed  on  certain 
recognized  principles.  With  these  we  may  attempt  to  deal. 


1 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


The  first  question  concerns,  naturally,  the  meaning  given 
to  the  terms  “literature”  and  “literary  work”  on  the  mis- 
sion field.  Without  question  the  Bible  takes  its  place  of 
preeminence  as  the  supreme  literary  need  of  all  the  peoples 
to  whom  missionaries  are  sent.  To  provide  the  Christian 
Scriptures  in  the  vernacular  is  the  first  concern  of  the 
missionary  purposing  to  plant  his  faith  firmly  in  any  land. 
This  has  been  recognized  from  the  very  beginning  of  Prot- 
estant missionary  enterprise.  The  result  has  been  that  the 
whole  or  parts  of  the  Christian  Scriptures  have  been  trans- 
lated into  all  the  important  languages  of  the  world  and 
into  many  of  the  dialects.  The  work  is  by  no  means  com- 
plete. Not  only  are  many  peoples  unreached  by  the  entire 
Bible  or  even  by  the  New  Testament,  but  the  needs  of  care- 
ful revision  are  so  insistent  that  much  energy  must  be 
expended  for  many  years  to  make  the  pure  Word  of  God 
available  in  such  form  as  shall  carry  its  message  clearly 
to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  waiting  peoples. 

But  while  we  as  Christians  are  “people  of  the  Book,”  and 
are  vitally  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Bible  Societies  and 
of  all  other  agencies  employed  in  the  translation,  publica- 
tion, and  dissemination  of  the  Scriptures,  that  is  not  the 
problem  we  are  asked  to  face  in  this  report.  The  purpose 
here  is  to  deal  with  literature  in  its  widest  meaning.  All 
that  is  needed  to  nurture  Christian  faith  and  make  it  intel- 
ligent, to  train  in  Christian  service,  and  to  stimulate  growth 
in  grace  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  But  this  is  only  one 
phase  of  the  task.  Many  kinds  of  literature,  more  or  less 
secular  in  character,  form  a part  of  the  provision  to  which 
the  Christian  forces  must  devote  their  attention  if  they  are 
to  do  their  full  duty  by  growing  peoples  who  look  to  them 
for  guidance.  It  is  “literature”  then  in  a very  broad  sense 
with  which  we  deal.  The  field  of  the  literary  worker  is 
as  wide  and  as  important  as  the  intellectual  and  spiritual 
needs  of  the  people  among  whom  he  works. 


2 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


1,  The  Function  of  Literature  in  Missionary  Work 

The  spoken  word  of  the  Christian  preacher  and  the 
printed  page  are  both  essential  to  the  full  proclamation  of 
the  message  of  the  missionary.  While  the  emphasis  should 
be  laid  upon  preaching  as  the  main  agency  for  reaching  the 
non-Christian  population,  the  effectiveness  of  the  printed 
page  cannot  be  overestimated.  In  the  words  of  Dr.  Ritson, 
“The  printed  page  alone  is  the  ubiquitous  missionary.”  It 
is  to  be  found  where  the  missionary  cannot  go.  It  has  cer- 
tain advantages  over  preaching,  especially  among  thoughtful 
people.  What  is  read  can  be  reread  and  pondered;  it  can 
be  read  to  others;  it  can  be  made  the  basis  of  discussion 
between  friends  who  would  not  have  it  known  that  they 
had  the  slightest  interest  in  the  claims  of  Christ.  The 
rapid  transformation  of  society  in  Asia  by  Christian  prin- 
ciples and  ideas,  even  where  there  has  been  no  discernible 
movement  toward  the  Christian  Church,  is  due  far  more 
widely  than  can  be  estimated  to  the  influence  of  literature 
which  is  distinctively  Christian  or  at  least  Christian  in  tone. 
It  was  once  stated  by  Dr.  Charles  R.  Watson  that  “No 
agency  can  penetrate  Islam  so  deeply,  abide  so  persistently, 
witness  so  daringly,  and  influence  so  irresistibly,  as  the 
printed  page.”  What  is  true  of  Mohammedan  peoples  is 
true  of  adherents  of  other  faiths. 

Christian  literature  ministers  to  the  intellectual  and  re- 
ligious needs  of  the  growing  Christian  community.  The 
promotion  of  worship,  the  conduct  of  Sunday-schools  and 
other  agencies  of  the  Church,  the  interpretation  of  the 
Bible,  and  the  building  up  of  the  Christian  life,  all  demand 
books  and  periodicals  and  various  other  forms  of  literature 
with  which  we  are  familiar.  Direction  must  also  be  given 
in  the  practical  affairs  of  daily  life  and  in  Christian  and 
social  service.  A literature  for  women  is  almost  non-ex- 
istent. Books,  pamphlets  and  periodical  literature  dealing 


3 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


with  their  special  problems  are  even  more  needed  than 
among  us.  Children  must  have  stories  and  books  of  in- 
struction in  nature  study  and  in  useful  crafts  and  arts, 
while  those  who  are  older  demand  many  of  the  forms  of 
reading  which  come  crowding  daily  into  our  homes  and 
which  in  most  cases  we  merely  take  for  granted.  One  of 
the  immediate  and  growing  effects  of  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  any  country  is  the  liberation  of  the  human 
mind,  involving  the  creation  of  an  insatiable  desire  for 
knowledge  and  the  raising  of  ideals  and  desires.  This  must 
be  met  by  the  Christian  Church  at  the  peril  of  losing  its 
hold  on  the  intellect  of  its  converts  just  at  a time  when  all 
the  world  seems  new  and  when  the  mind  must  be  fed  or 
else  relapse  into  apathy  or,  worse  still  if  possible,  be  ruined 
by  the  flood  of  pernicious  literature  which  lies  ready  to 
hand. 

Educational  work  is  making  it  necessary  to  provide  many 
books  and  other  printed  matter  for  schools  and  colleges. 
These  volumes  are  partly  religious,  but  are  more  largely 
on  the  various  subjects  taught  in  the  schools.  To  some 
extent  this  need  is  met  through  secular  channels  which, 
however,  can  at  best  only  issue  books  colorless  religiously. 
Hence  the  conviction  is  strong  that  the  missionary  has  a 
distinct  responsibility  to  provide  many  of  the  books  to  be 
used  in  educational  institutions.  Our  schools  must  be  held 
to  high  academic  standards;  they  must  also  be  unmistak- 
ably Christian.  The  whole  problem  involved  in  this  double 
demand  is  voiced  by  Dr.  Ritson  in  a pregnant  question, 
“Has  a missionary  Society  which  takes  no  responsibility  in 
providing  healthy  Christian  literature  any  right  to  assume 
the  task  of  education?” 

Christian  literature  should  make  an  important  contribu- 
tion to  the  formation  of  the  new  world  order.  Such  prob- 
lems as  those  of  social  and  economic  reconstruction,  the 
relationship  of  capital  and  labor  in  the  new  industrial  life 


4 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


of  the  peoples  of  the  East,  the  race  problem,  which  raises 
its  head  wherever  white  man  and  oriental  meet,  the  de- 
termination of  the  meaning  and  rights  of  nationality — these 
and  a host  of  other  questions  are  bound  to  arise  wherever 
the  Christian  message  is  preached  and  men  begin  to  feel 
after  a new  social  and  political  order.  Christian  literature 
must  not  fail  at  this  point.  It  aims  not  only  to  evangelize, 
but  to  impregnate  all  the  relationships  of  life  with  the  spirit 
of  Christ.  In  some  backward  countries  conditions  are  as 
yet  too  primitive  to  present  a demand  for  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  new  age,  but  these  sections  are  few  indeed  as 
compared  with  those  where  the  seething  mass  of  humanity 
is  laying  a heavy  hand  on  Christianity  to  interpret  its  life 
in  the  midst  of  their  confusion  and  uncertainty. 

What  of  Christianity  itself?  All  the  forces  of  unbelief 
and  evil  are  seeking  to  undermine  its  influence.  A literature 
must  be  built  up  whose  function  is  to  present  the  faith  in 
its  true  light,  defend  it  from  attack,  show  its  relation  to  the 
great  non-Christian  religions,  and  thus  make  its  appeal 
clear  and  strong  to  those  who  otherwise  might  be  led  to 
believe  that  Christianity  could  not  stand  up  under  strong 
opposition,  hlany  questions  arise  in  the  minds  even  of  the 
most  faithful  Christians  which  demand  an  answer.  Above 
all  else  Christianity  must  not  be  obscurantist.  It  must 
frankly  face  all  the  problems  of  life  and  provide  the  Chris- 
tian interpretation,  hlore  potent  than  any  other  agency  is 
the  printing  press  to  present  the  case  for  the  faith  and  cause 
it  to  appear  in  its  true  light. 

2.  The  Present  Opportunity  and  Need 

All  that  has  been  said  concerning  the  function  of  litera- 
ture relates,  of  course,  to  the  opportunity  and  need  of  the 
present  day.  But  from  the  beginning  of  the  modern  mis- 
sionary period  literature  has  been  produced  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  Christian  society  and  the  individual  believer. 


5 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


In  pointing  to  the  needs  of  our  own  day  no  word  must  be 
spoken  in  disparagement  of  the  past, — that  is  secure.  Some 
of  the  best  work  of  the  past  century  has  been  literary,  and 
we  can  never  surpass  it.  Robert  Morrison,  the  first  Prot- 
estant missionary  in  China,  was  perforce  almost  exclusively 
a literary  missionary.  William  Carey  has  as  one  claim  to 
distinction  the  reputation  of  being  the  creator  of  Bengali 
prose.  Dr.  James  C.  Hepburn  was  the  writer  of  the  first 
great  Japanese-English  dictionary,  and  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Mar- 
tin’s “Evidences  of  Christianity”  has  been  marvelously 
effective  in  commending  Christianity  to  the  Chinese  and 
Japanese.  Robert  Moffat,  by  his  translation  of  the  Bible 
into  the  speech  of  the  Bechuana  nation,  started  a movement 
which  has  given  to  hundreds  of  African  peoples  portions 
of  the  Scriptures  in  their  own  tongues.  These  are  but  a 
few  of  a large  number  who  have  heard  the  call  of  God  to 
literary  labors.  The  complete  catalogue  of  books  and  other 
literature  in  various  tongues  would  provide  impressive 
evidence  of  the  need  and  place  of  literary  work  in  the 
missionary  enterprise. 

But  no  one  can  be  found  who  believes  that  the  present 
condition  is  satisfactory.  The  exact  reverse  is  the  case. 
Literary  work  is  one  of  the  neglected  fields  and  alarm  is 
felt  because  of  the  dangers  involved.  The  parable  in  the 
Gospel  of  the  man  whose  house  was  swept  and  garnished, 
but  whose  last  state  was  worse  than  the  first,  is  suggestive 
here.  The  devils  of  foul  literature  and  antichristian  polemic 
are  becoming  very  bold  in  mission  lands.  The  young  men 
and  women  in  our  schools  must  read,  and  if  we  do  not  pro- 
vide reading  of  the  right  sort,  the  other  kind  is  not  far  to 
seek.  This  is  the  most  serious  aspect  of  the  situation  and 
it  is  very  real.  One  is  amazed  to  find  displayed  in  book 
stalls  in  the  East  all  kinds  of  antichristian  literature.  In 
large  part  these  are  translations  of  works  of  German, 
British,  French  and  American  writers,  and  they  are  widely 


6 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


read.  Another  class  of  literature,  so-called,  is  in  the  form 
of  pictures  and  printed  matter  which  at  its  best  is  indecent, 
but  which  frequently  descends  to  the  lowest  levels  of  lewd- 
ness and  shame.  Comparatively  little  has  been  done  to  meet 
this  situation  in  a positive  way  by  providing  wholesome  and 
uplifting  reading  matter  for  both  old  and  young. 

Leaving  aside  this  more  tragic  aspect  of  the  need,  the 
fact  emerges  in  studying  the  titles  of  the  literary  material 
now  being  provided  that  much  is  obsolete  and  ill-fitted  to 
present  needs.  This  is  true  of  all  forms  of  literature.  In 
the  case  of  translations,  it  becomes  increasingly  apparent 
that  the  work  in  many  instances  was  not  well  done.  Lack- 
ing clarity  and  not  being  presented  idiomatically,  the  works 
are  not  liked;  there  is  little  danger  of  their  becoming  “best 
sellers.”  In  other  cases  only  selections  have  been  translated, 
giving  the  impression  of  scrappiness  in  the  final  result.  But 
apart  from  the  defects  of  what  we  already  have,  even  the 
best  books  grow  old,  especially  in  the  long-worked  fields, 
and  new  books  are  therefore  constantly  demanded.  And 
finally,  when  one  compares  the  titles  now  available  which 
are  suitable  to  the  needs  of  today  with  the  vast  extent  of 
the  demands  and  the  needs,  the  disparity  is  appalling.  A 
quotation  from  Dr.  Ritson  again  will  make  the  real  situa- 
tion clear.  “If  a farmer  began  to  count  the  seeds  in  a 
sackful,  his  brain  would  begin  to  reel.  But  if  he  were  set 
down  with  his  single  sack  on  the  limitless  prairie  of  North- 
western Canada,  it  would  be  the  greatness  of  the  field  that 
would  stagger  him,  and  not  the  multitude  of  seeds  in  his 
sack.  The  number  of  human  beings  in  the  world  who  know 
little  or  nothing  of  Christ  is  more  impressive  than  the 
annual  output  of  all  literature  agencies  combined,  even  if 
the  output  be  expressed  in  pages.  The  existing  organiza- 
tions with  all  their  activity  have  only  touched  the  very  fringe 
of  the  world’s  need.” 

As  every  one  knows  who  has  any  acquaintance  with 

7 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


world  conditions  and  their  relation  to  the  Christian  propa- 
ganda, a new  situation  has  developed  in  recent  years,  for 
the  most  part  since  the  opening  of  this  century.  We  are 
face  to  face  not  only  with  more  people  accessible  to  the 
gospel,  but  with  people  whose  whole  idea  of  life  and  out- 
look on  the  future  is  new  and  strange  to  themselves.  The 
world  in  which  they  live  is  far  different  from  that  of  even 
a generation  ago.  The  old  landmarks  have  in  many  places 
almost  disappeared.  The  counties  of  eastern  and  southern 
Asia  and  certain  sections  of  Africa  are  being  born  anew 
intellectually,  economically  and  socially.  A liberation  of  the 
human  mind  is  taking  place.  Old  formulas  do  not  speak 
the  truth  for  today.  An  eager  search  is  being  instituted 
for  what  will  give  the  needed  satisfaction,  but  alas  so  many 
know  not  where  to  turn.  This  heightens  our  responsibility 
at  the  same  time  that  it  opens  up  a marvelous  vista  of 
opportunity.  We  are  bound,  as  we  have  been  so  largely 
responsible  for  this  awakening,  to  provide  food  and  nourish- 
ment in  every  needed  form  for  these  growing  peoples.  The 
rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  readers  in  all  these  coun- 
tries is  one  of  the  most  significant  phenomena  of  our  times, 
a renaissance  fraught  with  the  greatest  possibilities  of  good 
and  also  of  evil.  They  demand  something  more  than  a 
handful  of  tracts.  We  must  give  them  works  worthy  of 
the  greatness  of  our  religion. 

While  peoples  remain  illiterate  and  during  the  years  when 
the  Church  is  being  planted,  the  problem  of  literature  does 
not  press  for  solution.  This  accounts  in  large  measure  for 
the  relative  neglect  of  this  arm  of  mission  service  in  the 
past.  But  in  most  countries  the  old  stagnation  is  past. 
More  and  more  the  common  people  are  becoming  readers, 
and  the  church  is  an  established  fact  in  the  community. 
No  longer  is  there  any  excuse  for  neglect,  and  yet  relatively 
speaking,  very  little,  if  any  more  literary  work  is  being  done 
now  than  formerly.  One  reason  for  this  is  at  once  sug- 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


gested, — the  missionaries  are  so  fully  occupied  with  itin- 
erating and  preaching,  taking  care  of  converts  and  young 
churches,  managing  institutional  work  and  attending  to 
numerous  distracting  calls  that  there  is  no  time  for  the 
slow,  patient  and  laborious  literary  task  awaiting  them. 
The  missionaries  are  already  overworked, — yet  this  work 
must  be  done.  To  put  it  in  the  words  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  P. 
Jones,  “It  is  the  highest  branch  upon  the  missionary  tree, 
and  will  become  the  most  fruitful  and  possessed  of  the 
most  valuable  fruit  if  the  enterprise  is  properly  conducted.” 

We  are  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  missionary  for  lit- 
erary work  must  be  recognized  as  having  a distinct  and 
important  function.  This  has  not  been  sufficiently  recog- 
nized in  the  past,  so  that  men  have  not  been  given  their 
chance  to  make  what  might  prove  to  be  their  most  valuable 
contribution  to  the  world’s  evangelization.  It  does  not 
mean  that  they  are  to  be  withdrawn  completely  from  other 
phases  of  missionary  activity.  Inefficiency  and  even  total 
failure  will  surely  mark  the  literary  missionary  who  gets 
out  of  touch  with  his  fellow  missionaries  and  out  of  sym- 
pathy with  the  native  church  and  its  growing  needs. 

The  difficulty  is  that  other  work  so  fully  occupies  the 
energies  of  the  missionary  force  that  to  use  Dr.  Ritson’s 
words,  “It  is  increasingly  difficult  to  find  missionaries  with 
sufficient  knowledge  of  native  languages  and  adequate  ex- 
perience, either  for  translation  or  original  work.”  The 
fault  lies  not  with  the  individual  missionaries,  but  with  the 
lack  of  a policy  which  takes  account  of  and  makes  adequate 
provision  for  the  future  and  its  needs.  It  means  taking  the 
“long  view,”  it  means  faith  and  courage,  to  detach  men 
from  aggressive  evangelism  or  from  students  clamoring 
for  instruction,  to  devote  themselves  to  a form  of  service 
which  is  so  different  from  what  one  ordinarily  conceives 
as  missionary  work.  Yet  this  is  one  of  the  imperative  de- 
mands of  the  hour,  and  Dr.  Ritson  puts  it  in  the  plainest 

9 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


language  when  he  says  that  “the  time  has  fully  come  for 
the  missionary  Societies  to  take  direct  action  in  regard  to 
Christian  literature.”  ^ 

3.  The  Forms  of  Literature  and  Kinds  of  Workers  Needed 

In  view  of  the  statements  made  relative  to  the  function 
of  literature,  it  is  quite  evident  that  many  kinds  of  litera- 
ture are  needed.  When  we  not  only  consider  the  immediate 
needs  of  the  Christian  communities,  but  attempt  to  plan 
a literature  which  shall  so  guide  these  communities  that 
they  may  be  saved  from  the  mistakes,  the  schisms  and  the 
heresies  which  have  marred  the  history  of  Western  Chris- 
tendom, we  are  solemnized  by  the  scope  as  well  as  the  ex- 
ceeding delicacy  of  our  task. 

To  summarize  the  issue  briefly,  as  the  Church  in  any  land 
develops  the  need  for  a new  form  of  literature,  this  litera- 
ture must  be  provided.  In  the  end  this  will  mean  a complete 
literature,  from  the  Bible  on  one  hand,  to  leaflets  on  all  sorts 
of  practical  matters  on  the  other.  It  is  possible  to  be  more 
specific.  In  the  volume  entitled  “The  Continuation  Com- 
mittee Conferences  in  Asia,  1912-13,”  full  lists  are  given 
which  shed  much  light  on  our  problem. 

Even  a casual  survey  of  these  lists  reveals  the  wide  scope 
of  the  literature  needed.  Without  any  attempt  to  be  ex- 
haustive, we  introduce  here  a summary  giving  the  kinds  of 
literature  for  which  an  increasing  demand  is  felt. 

Theological  literature — a very  broad  field  in  itself. 

Apologetics — the  defence  of  Christianity  and  refutation  of  the 
various  forms  of  unbelief. 

Commentaries  and  other  Biblical  helps. 

Sermons  by  well-known  preachers. 

Literature  to  assist  in  evangelistic  campaigns. 

1 For  a very  competent  survey  of  the  existing  situation  on  the  mission  field 
as  regards  Christian  literature,  see  Dr.  Ritson’s  “Christian  Literature  in  the 
Mission  Field,”  published  by  the  Continuation  Committee  of  the  World  Mis- 
sionary Conference  in  1915. 


10 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


Christian  experience  and  conversion. 

The  life  and  work  of  Christ. 

History — Biblical,  church  and  secular. 

The  comparison  and  the  history  of  religions. 

Works  on  missions  in  the  world — the  whole  movement  of  the 
expansion  of  Christianity. 

Biographies — of  great  men  and  women  and  of  saintly  characters. 

Devotional  literature. 

Translations  of  the  Church  Fathers  and  of  the  great  religious 
and  literary  classics. 

Philosophical  and  scientific  works,  both  technical  and  popular. 

Sociology — community  betterment,  etc. 

Works  on  reforms — temperance,  purity,  etc. 

Fiction  and  stories  with  a Christian  tone. 

Sunday-school  literature. 

Art  and  music  and  poetical  works. 

Special  literature  for  women  and  children  and  their  interests. 

Medical  literature,  technical  and  popular — personal  hygiene,  sani- 
tation, etc. 

A list  could  not  be  much  more  inclusive.  To  put  it 
briefly,  what  we  in  Canada  and  in  the  United  States  need 
in  our  church  and  community  life,  the  peoples  who  are 
inquiring  about  Christianity  and  western  civilization  and 
are  pushing  into  the  churches  in  the  non-Christian  world 
will  need  also.  'As  we  have  felt  the  obligation  to  evangelize 
so  we  must  feel  the  need  to  nurture  and  educate.  Our  aim 
does  not  stop  at  heralding  the  name  of  Christ;  it  pushes 
on  to  completely  Christianize  all  the  relations  of  life.  We 
want  to  see  Christian  communities  in  every  land  which  are 
intelligent  as  well  as  godly,  which  feel  a sense  of  obliga- 
tion to  make  their  lands  thoroughly  Christian  as  well  as 
to  lead  blameless  lives  themselves.  The  part  to  be  played 
by  Christian  literature  in  this  whole  movement  is  enormous. 

This  literature  will  be  multiform.  Books  come  to  mind 
first  as  the  leading  form  literature  must  take.  The  more 
fundamental  literature  will  inevitably  take  this  form.  But 
we  must  not  imagine  that  our  work  is  done  when  an 

11 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


adequate  output  of  books  is  provided  for.  Periodical 
literature  is  greatly  needed.  The  call  comes  for  the  more 
technical  theological  journal  and  at  the  same  time  for  the 
popular,  illustrated  monthly  magazine.  The  weekly  paper 
is  as  much  needed  there  as  with  us  at  home,  as  is  periodical 
literature  for  women  and  children.  A literature  of  leaflets 
and  tracts  for  free  distribution  and  quick  reading  is  every- 
where in  use,  with  increasing  demands  for  a larger  output. 
Another  avenue  of  approach  which  is  now  open  in  Japan 
is  the  willingness  of  the  secular  press  to  receive  Christian 
articles.  It  goes  without  saying  they  must  be  worthy  of 
our  faith.  Much  work  in  some  lands  remains  to  be  done 
in  reducing  languages  to  a written  form  and  in  providing 
dictionaries  and  grammars.  This  is  the  case  notably  in 
pagan  Africa  and  in  other  sections  where  men  live  in  the 
savage  or  semi-savage  state. 

Even  such  a short  survey  as  we  have  provided  empha- 
sizes the  range  of  ability  required  to  provide  an  adequate 
literature.  There  is  a demand  for  original  thinkers  able 
to  write  books  fitted  to  the  spiritual,  moral,  and  intellectual 
requirements  of  the  thinking  people.  Increasingly  the 
native  Christian  writer  will  take  his  place  as  a leader  of 
thought  among  his  people.  At  present,  for  the  most  part, 
he  must  collaborate  with  the  missionary  literary  worker. 
The  work  of  translation  and  adaptation  of  western  works 
will  never  be  completely  superseded  by  original  work  in 
the  languages  of  the  mission  field.  In  countries  like  Japan 
where  the  mind  of  the  educated  people  has  been  moulded 
upon  western  models,  the  need  will  always  exist  for  transla- 
tions of  the  best  work  in  Europe  and  America.  This  means 
working  with  a Japanese  helper  who  can  furnish  much 
to  make  the  translation  idiomatic  and  clear. 

One  of  the  most  important  phases  of  the  work  will  be 
editorial,  not  merely  passing  upon  and  correcting  what  is 
sent  in  by  missionaries  and  native  writers,  but  directing 


12 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


and  planning  their  work  for  and  with  them.  The  dis- 
covery of  natives  who  have  talent  and  can  be  trained 
into  acceptable  writers  is  a large  feature  of  this  service. 
The  work  of  the  literary  missionary  is  truly  creative,  and 
at  the  same  time  a work  of  discovery.  Every  talent  he 
has  will  be  put  to  the  test,  if  he  is  to  function  effectively 
as  a literary  worker. 

An  exceedingly  important  question  is  the  relation  of 
the  missionary  and  the  native  writer  in  the  production  of 
literature.  Is  the  literary  work  of  the  future  to  be  done 
by  foreign  missionaries  or  by  native  Christians?  The 
outstanding  fact  in  most  countries  is  that  at  present  and 
for  some  time  to  come  the  brunt  of  the  undertaking  must 
be  borne  by  foreigners,  yet  not  by  foreigners  alone.  The 
tooperation  of  capable  and  trained  native  writers  is  con- 
stantly needed,  and  the  encouragement  of  natives  to  write 
is  a most  necessary  feature  of  the  literary  worker’s  task. 
Wherever  the  natives  work  side  by  side  with  missionaries 
the  closest  cooperation  is  urged.  Not  only  can  the  mis- 
sionary be  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  the  native,  but  the 
native  can  make  himself  indispensable  to  the  foreigner. 
The  outcome  is  clearly  seen.  The  time  must  come  when 
natives  of  each  country  shall  bear  the  full  burden  of  pro- 
viding an  adequate  Christian  literature  for  their  fellow 
Christians.  But  this  day  is  far  off  in  most  countries,  so 
in  the  meantime  it  becomes  necessary  for  missionaries  to 
do  this  work,  training  natives  to  work  with  them,  that  in 
the  end  they  may  assume  the  whole. 

In  Japan  the  intellectual  transformation  has  reached  a 
more  advanced  stage  than  in  any  other  country.  The 
Japanese  mind  “is  being  literally  transformed  into  the 
image  of  the  western  mind.”  The  question  is  raised 
whether  the  literary  output  must  not  proceed  largely,  if 
not  entirely,  from  the  pen  of  Japanese  writers.  The  temp- 
tation is  to  say  that  this  is  the  case — that  Japanese  writers 

13 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


must  do  the  writing,  needing  little  or  no  assistance  from 
the  foreign  missionary.  But  the  temptation  must  be 

resisted.  A large  place  is  still  left  for  missionary  coop- 
eration in  literary  production.  While  Dr.  Sidney  L. 
Gulick  believes  it  would  be  folly  for  any  American  college 
student  to  prepare  himself  for  the  production  of  Christian 
literature  in  Japan,  if  he  does  so  with  the  expectation  of 
working  independently  of  Japanese  assistance,  he  is  led 
to  make  this  further  statement:  “A  really  able  American 
writer,  however,  who  is  assisted  by  a gifted  Japanese, 
would  doubtless  be  able  to  render  service  of  the  highest 
value,  which  neither  the  American  nor  the  Japanese  work- 
ing independently  could  possibly  make.  While  the  Japanese 
writer  should  be  sought  and  utilized  to  the  utmost  possible 
extent,  for  many  years  to  come  there  will  no  doubt  be 
opportunity  and  call  for  talented  foreign  writers  to  make 
their  literary  contributions.  Such  contributions,  however, 
to  be  effective,  must  be  the  joint  product  of  the  foreigner 
and  a Japanese  co-worker.” 

The  existence  of  Christian  Literature  Societies  in  various 
countries  is  a great  boon.  Intelligent  direction  is  now 
being  given  to  the  output  of  the  presses,  overlapping  is 
avoided,  the  most  gifted  writers  among  missionaries  and 
native  Christians  are  being  discovered  and  given  tasks  in 
accordance  with  their  various  capacities  and  with  the  spe- 
cial calls  for  literature  in  the  field.  Under  such  direction  the 
work  of  the  literary  missionary  is  enhanced  many  times 
over,  for  actual  needs  are  met  in  a far  more  satisfactory 
fashion  than  could  be  true  where  haphazard  methods  are 
still  in  control. 

II.  The  Qualifications  of  the  Literary  Worker 

The  first  fact  to  be  kept  in  mind  is  that,  like  all  his  fellow 
workers  in  the  mission  field,  the  literary  worker  is  a mis- 
sionary. He  is  one  with  them  in  every  essential,  different 


14 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


only  in  the  form  of  activity.  If  he  devotes  himself  exclu- 
sively to  his  appointed  work  and  becomes  a recluse,  he  will 
not  succeed  in  the  work  to  which  he  is  assigned.  So  great 
is  this  danger  that  in  the  opinion  of  some,  no  one  should 
devote  himself  exclusively  to  literary  work  for  a long 
period  of  time.  He  must  be  with  his  fellow  workers  in 
their  councils ; he  must  understand  their  problems  by 
actual  contact  with  the  work;  he  must  know  the  life  of 
the  people  by  sharing  it  with  them.  This  would  indicate 
that  back  of  the  special  qualifications  which  should  be  his, 
must  be  found  those  which  obtain  in  the  case  of  every 
true  missionary.  In  the  remarks  that  follow,  emphasis 
will  be  laid  on  the  special  qualifications  of  the  literary 
worker,  but  not  to  the  neglect  of  several  general  qualities 
which  should  always  be  mentioned  in  considering  the 
question  of  the  appointment  of  missionaries. 

1.  The  Great  Essentials. 

The  first  is  personal  religious  experience.  That  experi- 
ence may  vary  all  the  way  from  a lofty  mysticism  to  the 
simple  faith  of  a very  practical  man  or  woman,  but  the 
one  essential  is  that  it  should  be  vital,  an  experience  of 
fellowship  with  Christ.  This  means  a growing  knowl- 
edge of  the  Bible,  a veritable  love  for  its  message;  it  means 
that  prayer  is  no  mere  form,  but  a living  fellowship  with 
Jesus  Christ;  it  means  also  a growing  sense  of  horror  of 
sin  in  all  forms  and  a life  of  increasing  victory  over 
temptation.  Loyalty  to  Christ  is  the  deepest  motive  to 
service,  and  unselfish  devotion  to  the  coming  of  his  King- 
dom the  center  of  all  life’s  thoughts  and  activities.  In 
addition  to  all,  there  must  be  strong  conviction  concerning 
the  great  Christian  verities.  For  no  one  is  this  more  true 
than  for  the  literary  worker,  who  must  be  employed  con- 
stantly in  inculcating  positive  truth  through  the  written 
word.  The  character  of  God,  the  person  and  work  of 


15 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


Jesus  Christ,  the  authority  of  the  Bible,  the  nature  of 
sin  and  its  consequences,  and  the  issues  of  life  and  death 
will  demand  of  him  a personal  viewpoint  from  which  he 
may  make  all  these  doctrines  telling  messages  to  the  hearts 
and  minds  of  sin-sick  men  and  women,  whose  great  needs 
are  the  joy  of  forgiveness,  the  peace  of  deliverance,  and 
the  hope  of  a purer  life  now  and  hereafter. 

An  excellent  summary  of  qualities  is  made  by  Dr, 
Stanley  White  as  particularly  appropriate  in  the  literary 
worker : 

Broadmindedness 

Sympathy 

A readiness  to  recognize  the  good  in  existing  religions. 

An  absence  of  the  spirit  of  attack  in  dealing  with  other  religions. 
Scholarship  of  the  highest  quality. 

Linguistic  ability. 

Spiritual  insight. 

Courtesy  and  refinement,  the  spirit  of  the  gentleman. 

And  some  would  add  that  the  saving  sense  of  humor 
should  not  be  omitted  when  the  special  qualities  of  the  lit- 
erary worker  are  mentioned. 

2.  The  Literary  Gift. 

Here  we  come  to  a dividing  line  between  missionaries 
in  other  forms  of  activity  and  the  literary  worker.  In 
this  respect  a literary  man  must  be  born  and  not  made. 
We  can  do  no  better  than  listen  attentively  to  Dr.  Talcott 
Williams,  of  the  Columbia  University  School  of  Jour- 
nalism : 

“No  training,  no  preparation  will  enable  a man  to  do  literary  - 
work  unless  he  has  the  ability  for  it.  The  task  requires  certain 
adaptation.  In  the  School  of  Journalism  we  weed  out  without 
hesitation  the  men  without  this  adaptation,  even  if  they  learn 
their  lessons.  Any  man  can  be  trained  to  write  mechanically  a 
grammatical  sentence  and  to  paragraph  his  work.  It  is  practicable 
by  a somewhat  wearisome  drill  to  secure  the  accuracy  of  the 


16 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 

multiplication  table.  By  a great  deal  of  correction  and  patient 
supervision  a moderate  degree  of  clarity  can  be  secured.  Beyond 
that  training  cannot  go.  The  work  such  a man  turns  out  will 
never  be  read  by  anybody  except  as  men  read  railroad  reports 
or  text-books.  There  the  output  of  such  a man  will  end.  It 
cannot  be  raised  above  it  unless  there  is  the  capacity  to  write. 
If  he  has  this  capacity  all  that  I have  outRned  will  be  of  the 
greatest  value. 

“In  order  to  put  ‘thoughts  into  effective  form  for  proper  use’ 
or  to  act  ‘as  editor  of  periodical  literature’  a man  needs  ‘news- 
paper initiative,’  the  capacity  to  write  and  not  simply  to  frame 
sentences.  Without  this  he  will  turn  out  the  same  dull  stuff  which 
renders  shelves  full  of  books  unreadable.” 

These  wise  words  sum  up  about  all  that  needs  to  be 
said  on  this  point.  The  literary  worker  of  the  type  so 
highly  desired  has  “ink  in  the  blood.”  Others  have  made 
statements  to  the  same  effect,  but  none  with  such  clarity 
and  authority  as  Dr.  Williams. 

A most  difficult  question  arises  at  once : How  can  a 
man  himself,  or  others  for  him,  determine  whether  he 
possesses  this  peculiar  gift?  His  own  liking  and  taste 
should  lead  him  to  make  the  attempt,  but  further  than 
this  the  only  test  of  the  pudding  is  the  eating.  A man 
can  show  that  he  possesses  the  literary  gift  only  by  writing 
so  that  people  will  read  what  he  writes  in  spite  of  their 
attitude  to  him  or  to  his  theme. 

3.  The  Special  Knowledge  Necessary  for  the  Literary 
Worker. 

Considerably  more  is  demanded  of  the  literary  worker 
by  way  of  exact  knowledge  and  of  cultural  background 
than  of  any  other  missionary.  What  he  writes  and  what 
he  edits  must  be  suited  to  the  peculiar  environment — his- 
torical, ethical,  ethnic,  geographical,  social  and  religious — 
of  the  people  for  whom  he  writes.  This  requires  capacity 
for  long-sustained  reading  and  investigation,  innate  sym- 


17 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


pathy  and  love  for  the  people  and  all  that  concerns  them, 
and  the  perseverance  and  faith  required  to  perform  the 
difficult  task  imposed  on  him  in  face  of  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances and  in  view  of  other  calls  more  clamorous  and 
appealing  to  a man’s  sense  of  immediate  need.  It  is  more 
necessary,  if  possible,  for  him  to  master  the  language  than 
for  any  other  worker.  This  means,  then,  unusual  linguistic 
capacity,  but  even  more  the  patience  to  acquire  the  ver- 
nacular and  the  literary  language  so  that  he  may  be  able 
to  write  directly  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  cause 
them  to  desire  to  read  what  he  prepares  for  them.  The 
immensity  of  this  task  is  such  as  to  make  the  stoutest 
hesitate,  yet  it  is  an  absolute  sine  qua  non  for  the  literary 
worker.  Mr.  D.  Willard  Lyon,  of  China,  takes  us  a step 
further: 

“To  me  the  chief  incentive  to  press  forward  in  my  linguistic 
studies  is  the  need  of  being  so  thoroughly  in  touch  with  Chinese 
thought  as  to  be  able  to  sense  the  needs  of  the  hour  and  to  make 
sure  that  these  needs  are  being  met.  This  demands  a far  more 
thorough  type  of  linguistic  training  than  is  required  for  dictating 
ideas  to  a Chinese  writer  who  has  become  accustomed  to  one’s 
vocabulary.” 

The  man  chosen  for  literary  work  certainly  faces  no 
easy  task.  Doubtless  it  is  the  most  taxing  and  the  most 
difficult  form  of  service.  In  closing  this  section,  a word 
from  two  successful  literary  missionaries  may  be  used. 
First  that  of  Dr.  S.  M.  Zwemer,  of  Cairo: 

“As  regards  special  qualifications,  the  man  who  engages  in 
literary  work  should  above  all  have  a broad  cultural  outlook.  All 
literary  work  done  on  the  foreign  field  should  be  free  from  sec- 
tarian prejudices  or  narrowness  of  vision.  The  broadest  possible 
education,  therefore,  is  essential.  Literary  work,  however,  on 
the  foreign  field  also  includes  the  laying  of  foundations  for  the 
ethical  and  spiritual  faith  of  millions.  Needless  to  say  the  one 
who  undertakes  this  task  must  himself  be  thoroughly  grounded 
in  the  faith  once  for  all  delivered  and  come  to  his  task,  not  with 


18 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


the  interrogation  points  of  doubt,  but  with  positive  convictions 
of  truth.” 

The  second  quotation  is  from  Dr.  D.  MacGillivray, 
written  with  China  in  mind,  but  readily  adapted  to  the 
situation  in  any  other  country: 

“Naturally  he  must  have  good  eyesight,  as  he  will  constantly 
need  to  be  reading  Chinese,  which  puts  a big  strain  on  the  eye- 
sight. . . Confinement  to  the  office  during  stated  hours,  rain 

or  shine,  suggests  that  he  should  possess  a robust  constitution. 
The  literary  worker  leads  a life  of  exacting  strenuousness.  He 
will  probably  be  much  in  demand  on  committees  and  for  public 
addresses  in  English  and  Chinese.  If  he  is  working  at  a station 
in  the  interior  he  will  be  able  to  vary  his  work  by  occasional  ex- 
cursions into  other  kinds  of  work.  But  if  in  association  with 
other  workers,  these  opportunities  will  be  few.  . . . What  leisure 
he  can  find  he  will  devote  to  studies  in  English  and  Chinese. 
This  he  must  do,  or  he  will  become  dry  and  uninteresting.  . . . 
His  aim  should  be  to  train  his  Chinese  writers  so  that  they  may 
gradually  emerge  from  the  status  of  employees  into  that  of  col- 
leagues. This  training  calls  for  the  highest  qualities  on  the  part 
of  the  literary  worker.” 

III.  The  Selection  and  Designation  of  Literary 

Workers 

The  feature  of  greatest  practical  difficulty  is  now  to  be 
faced.  When  and  upon  what  principles  shall  literary 
workers  be  selected  and  designated  to  their  specific  task? 
Is  it  possible,  as  in  the  case,  for  example,  of  the  medical 
man,  to  decide  definitely  on  the  form  of  work  he  will  enter 
and  to  prepare  for  it  through  a course  of  years,  assured 
that  he  will  be  given  that  appointment  ? Clearly  not. 
There  must  be  no  misunderstanding  at  this  point.  It  is 
the  almost  unanimous  opinion  of  experienced  missionaries 
that  no  young  missionary,  however  talented  and  well 
trained,  can  qualify  to  be  a literary  missionary  until  after 
he  has  passed  through  a term  of  service  on  the  field  in 

19 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


evangelistic,  educational  or  some  other  work.  In  addition 
to  his  literary  training,  it  is  an  absolute  requirement  that 
he  master  the  language  and  be  perfectly  familiar  with 
the  life-  of  the  people.  This  involves  years  of  missionary 
service,  at  least  the  period  before  the  first  furlough.  It 
clearly  demands  the  use  of  that  furlough  for  special  prepa- 
ration for  definite  literary  work.  In  tropical  countries, 
where  the  time  of  service  between  furloughs  is  short, 
the  testing  period  may  even  last  until  the  time  of  the  second 
furlough. 

How,  then,  in  actual  practice,  is  the  literary  missionary 
led  into  his  task?  Again  there  is  an  answer  that  is  almost 
unanimous.  Men  and  women  should  be  set  aside  for  longer 
or  shorter  periods  for  a definite  literary  task.  This  means, 
in  the  first  place,  that  when  a missionary  has  shown  him- 
self to  possess  literary  ability  and  tastes,  he  should  be 
relieved  temporarily  of  other  duties  in  order  to  translate 
or  write  some  book,  and  upon  the  completion  of  the  task 
should  resume  his  work  in  the  regular  ranks.  Such  expe- 
rience in  literary  work  temporarily  may  or  may  not  lead 
to  his  appointment  to  regular  work  along  literary  lines, 
which  may  become  his  work  for  the  remainder  of  his  mis- 
sionary career.  A number  of  men  are  in  such  lines  of 
work  at  the  present  time,  and  the  number  must  be  increased 
to  meet  the  needs  now  arising. 

The  British  Societies  have  done  better  than  the  American 
in  the  support  of  literary  work.  According  to  Rev.  Jacob 
Speicher,  of  the  China  Baptist  Publication  Society,  the 
British  Societies  support  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  literary 
missionaries  in  China,  the  Continental  and  Canadian 
twenty-three  per  cent.,  while  the  American  support  only 
seventeen  per  cent.  It  is  very  clear  that  this  is  one  of 
the  greatest  unused  opportunities  lying  before  our  Amer- 
ican Societies  to  forward  the  evangelization  of  the  non- 
Christian  world.  Notable  progress  has  been  made  by  the 


20 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


International  Committee  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Associations  by  the  setting  aside  of  trained  men  for  this 
work.  Their  example  must  be  followed  far  more  widely 
by  other  American  Societies.  The  call  thus  to  designate 
missionaries  already  on  the  field  to  literary  tasks  was 
voiced  in  almost  every  conference  held  by  Dr.  Mott  in 
Asia  in  1912-13. 

Is  there  anything,  then,  a student  volunteer  can  do 
during  the  period  of  his  training?  He  surely  may  consider 
literary  work  as  a possibility,  and  keep  it  in  view  in  his 
preparation.  This  would  lead  him  to  broaden  his  view 
and  to  cultivate  his  literary  gifts,  neither  of  which  would 
be  a loss  should  he  never  have  the  call  to  devote  himself 
to  literary  work.  Of  course,  it  will  be  the  exceptional 
man  who  will  take  this  long  view,  but  it  is  exceptional 
work  we  are  dealing  with  which  demands  just  such  a man, 
one  with  determination,  forethought  and  patience.  A very 
interesting  letter  from  Dr.  D.  MacGillivray,  of  the  Christian 
Literature  Society  for  China,  contains  the  following  sen- 
tence : 

“You  observe  that  in  my  judgment  no  missionary  candidate 
should  enter  at  once  on  this  work,  and  yet  it  is  of  such  transcend- 
ent importance  that  its  claims  ought  to  be  presented  early  to  the 
minds  of  some  men,  who  have  special  leanings  or  special  leadings 
toward  newspaper  and  literary  work.  It  often  happens  at  college 
that  there  are  some  young  fellows  who  are  turning  to  journalism, 
and  they  often  take  the  college  paper  as  a starter.  I think  it 
would  be  a good  thing  if  Christian  young  men  of  that  type  were 
made  acquainted  with  the  possibilities  of  a rich  investment  of 
their  lives  in  China  along  their  favorite  line.” 

IV.  The  Preparation  of  the  Literary  Worker 

The  entire  discussion  of  the  preparation  of  the  literary 
worker  is  determined  by  what  has  been  said  on  selection 
and  designation.  It  must  be  remembered,  as  in  the  section 


21 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


on  qualifications,  that  the  preparation  he  receives  in  com- 
mon with  the  regular  missionary  will  receive  incidental 
notice  only. 

In  common  with  other  candidates,  the  literary  worker 
should  secure  college  and  theological  training.  In  college 
special  emphasis  should  be  placed  on  English  literature 
and  composition.  Beginning  thus  early  he  will  observe 
the  rule,  “Write,  write,  write,”  as  the  only  method  of 
acquiring  style.  He  should  keep  in  mind  such  experiences 
as  that  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  who  found  it  necessary 
to  spend  years  in  constant  practice  to  develop  style.  He 
was  in  the  habit  of  writing  and  rewriting  his  compositions 
— occasionally  as  many  as  ten  or  eleven  times  over — to 
satisfy  his  own  conscientious  sense  of  fitness.  There 
is  no  royal  road  to  the  work  of  a successful  literary 
worker.  During  these  days,  with  a good  library  at 
his  disposal,  he  should  form  the  habit  of  wide  reading. 
His  interests  will  be  varied  if  he  proves  to  be  a successful 
literary  worker,  and  the  foundations  of  his  knowledge  on 
most  subjects  must  be  laid  in  these  early  days  or  never 
be  laid  at  all.  One  of  the  points  where  the  literary  worker 
may  fail  in  his  exacting  task  is  in  regard  to  knowledge 
and  accuracy  of  statement.  He  may  find  himself  ignorant 
at  a place  where  if  he  only  knew  more  he  might  increase 
his  efficiency  manyfold.  It  is  suggested  that  he  secure,  if 
possible,  an  appointment  on  the  college  paper  and  make 
the  most  of  the  opportunity.  In  these  days  he  may  be  able 
to  test  himself  out  and  discover  his  fitness  or  unfitness 
for  such  work  from  the  advice  of  his  friends  and  critics 
and  his  instructors.  While  college  courses  in  general 
education  and  pedagogy  would  prove  valuable,  “so  as  to 
know  the  best  way  of  presenting  the  truth  to  different 
classes  and  ages,”  he  should  know  as  many  languages  as 
possible.  For  those  whose  call  is  to  Biblical  translation 
and  the  preparation  of  commentaries  and  other  helps  which 

22 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


demand  technical  and  exact  linguistic  skill,  a knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures  in  the  original  Greek  and  Hebrew  is 
essential.  Of  modern  languages,  French  and  German  are 
well  nigh  indispensable.  This  is  true  of  Spanish  or  Portu- 
guese, of  course,  for  Latin  countries. 

If  a theological  course  is  important  for  the  evangelistic 
missionary,  it  is  even  more  so  for  the  literary  worker  who 
is  to  write  on  religious  and  theological  themes.  His  work 
will  lead  him  into  theological  and  religious  channels 
constantly.  Christian  apologetics,  as  well  as  Christian 
doctrine,  will  be  a kind  of  reservoir  from  which  he  must 
draw  copiously.  Theological  emptiness  would  be  a calamity 
in  a man  of  this  particular  work  more  than  in  any  other. 
At  some  time  in  his  preparation  a good  course  in  com- 
parative religion  or  the  history  of  religion  should  be 
taken,  on  which  further  studies  in  the  religion  of  a par- 
ticular country  will  be  based.  Even  more  fundamental  are 
courses  on  the  psychology  and  philosophy  of  religion.  So 
much  is  clear  and  may  be  recommended  without  hesitation. 
It  is  about  all  that  can  be  said  to  the  missionary  candidate 
who  has  had  no  experience  on  the  field. 

Any  candidate  who  reads  these  lines  will  see  clearly  the 
direction  in  which  this  report  is  leading.  No  man  or 
woman  can  expect  to  be  sent  to  the  mission  field  as  a 
literary  worker.  It  follows,  then,  that  little  can  be  said 
in  the  way  of  specific  direction  for  the  preparation  of  the 
literary  worker  before  he  goes  to  the  field  for  the  first 
time.^ 

The  next  stage  in  the  evolution  of  the  literary  missionary 

It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that  the  young  man  who  believes  that  he  has 
the  qualification  for  literary  work  and  has  decided  that  in  this  way  he  can  make 
his  greatest  contribution  as  a missionary,  study  carefully  the  suggestions  for 
the  preparation  of  the  ordained  man  issued  by  the  Board  of  Missionary  Prep- 
aration, taking  this  as  his  guide  in  his  preparation.  Or  perhaps  his  secondary 
choice  may  be  for  the  work  as  a teacher.  If  so,  let  him  take  as  his  guide  the 
pamphlet  on  the  “Preparation  of  the  Educational  Missionary,”  supplementing 
these  suggestions  by  what  is  said  here  about  the  special  preparation  of  the 
literary  worker. 


23 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


will  be  on  the  field  during  his  early  years  of  service.  But, 
paradoxical  as  it  may  appear,  the  literary  worker  should 
not  be  in  literary  work  at  all  during  this  time.  He  is  a 
regular  missionary  doing  work  just  like  his  fellows.  Of 
course,  he  has  a special  appointment,  but  it  is  not  to  literary 
service.  Whether  he  be  placed  in  educational  work  or  in 
the  more  general  evangelistic  or  administrative  service, 
his  chief  task  is  to  learn  the  language  and  to  orient  him- 
self in  the  country.  In  every  respect  the  embryonic  literary 
worker  must  prove  himself  to  be  an  efficient  missionary 
in  some  other  field  than  that  of  literary  work.  This  is  a 
prime  requisite.  He  must  be  a missionary  of  proved  worth, 
first,  in  some  other  line,  if  he  is  to  qualify  as  one  fit  to 
be  designated  to  literary  work.  He  must  become  a real 
missionary  in  spirit  and  in  practice.  Even  more  thor- 
oughly than  is  essential  for  the  “regular”  missionary,  he 
must  lay  deep  foundations  in  the  vernacular  and  in  knowl- 
edge of  the  life  of  the  people.  All  their  interests  must 
be  in  a sense  his — their  customs,  mental  outlook,  historical 
development,  social  organization,  economic  condition,  and 
religious  life.  Failing  here,  he  can  never  realize  his  ambi- 
tion to  help  provide  a Christian  literature  for  the  people. 
He  may  be  a man  of  great  literary  promise,  but  this  will 
not  save  him.  He  simply  must  know  the  people  and  their 
language  to  be  called  into  this  unique  literary  field. 

Dr.  S.  M.  Zwemer  states  the  case  thus: 

“Early  years  on  the  mission  field  of  future  literary  workers 
should  be  spent  in  evangelistic  and  educational  work — both  if 
possible.  The  former  to  bring  him  into  touch  with  the  common 
people  and  the  popular  form  of  the  non-Christian  faiths ; the  lat- 
ter to  give  him  an  insight  into  the  mind  and  thought  of  the  educated 
classes  and  the  modern  movements  on  religious  and  social  lines. 
The  very  fact  of  this  need  emphasizes  the  choice  of  these  workers 
not  before  but  after  a period  of  service.” 

But  while  literary  work  will  not  be  his  province  during 


24 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


this  period,  the  literary  worker  will  be  in  a very  real  sense 
in  the  making.  During  this  term  of  service  he  will  inevi- 
tably be  differentiated  from  others.  Gradually  it  will 
become  clear  that  this  man  or  woman  will  find  the  broadest 
field  of  usefulness  along  literary  lines.  This  process  of 
differentiation  is  in  no  sense  arbitrary.  His  literary  gifts 
and  his  bent  of  mind  will  become  evident  to  all,  and  he 
and  his  fellow  workers  will  realize  that  everything  in  his 
work  on  the  field  leads  to  but  one  conclusion,  that  he  should 
turn  his  energies  to  literary  tasks.  While  others  are  spend- 
ing their  spare  time,  such  as  a missionary  has,  in  the  lines 
of  their  particular  interest,  he  has  it  on  his  heart  increas- 
ingly to  preach  his  message  through  the  printed  page. 
Not  exactly  in  spite  of,  but  through,  all  his  regular  work 
this  tendency  will  develop  until  it  becomes  a foregone 
conclusion  to  his  coworkers  that  this  man  has  made  it 
inevitable  that  he  be  assigned  to  literary  work.  And  thus 
he  becomes  a literary  worker.  His  reading,  his  delight 
in  writing,  the  ability  he  shows  in  producing  readable 
material,  and  his  vision  of  the  possibilities  of  this  form 
of  service — all  these  are  factors  in  the  final  conclusion 
which  is  reached.  He  has  won  his  literary  spurs  and  can 
safely  be  designated  to  that  work. 

So  far,  then,  as  direct  preparation  for  his  specific  task 
is  concerned,  the  first  furlough  appears  to  be  the  only  open 
period  for  our  literary  worker.  He  has  now,  let  us  say, 
been  recommended  by  his  mission  and  designated  by  his 
Board  to  this  task.  He  should  be  allowed  by  his  Board 
so  to  plan  his  stay  at  home  that  all  needed  preparation 
and  training  may  be  secured.  It  may  be  necessary  for 
him  to  lay  aside  for  a time  all  other  work  on  the  field  to 
make  a special  study  of  the  language  or  of  some  subject 
on  the  field  itself — with  a native  scholar  or  at  a university. 
He  knows  the  field,  his  work,  and  the  particular  training 
he  needs.  This  training  will  lie  in  nearly  all  cases  along 

25 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


at  least  two  lines.  He  will  seek  guidance  in  the  technique 
of  writing  and  editorial  work.  These  can  be  secured  in 
this  country  at  several  centers.  The  Columbia  University 
School  of  Journalism,  for  example,  offers  facilities  of  the 
widest  range  to  all  who  are  to  be  connected  with  journalism 
in  any  of  its  branches.  It  would  be  wise  for  most  to 
pursue  such  courses  where  at  the  same  time  a first-hand 
study  could  be  made  of  printing,  publishing  and  distribution 
of  literature.  Not  that  in  all,  or  even  many,  cases  will  the 
literary  worker  engage  in  these  practical  activities,  but  that 
all  knowledge  he  may  possess  along  these  lines  will  never 
be  amiss,  and  may  prove  to  be  of  the  highest  value. 

Aside  from  these  two  fields  for  training  the  range  of 
subjects  to  which  he  may  desire  to  devote  special  attention 
is  almost  limitless.  Every  missionary  will  desire  to  take 
courses  on  subjects  connected  with  his  immediate  task.  It 
may  be  theology  or  history  or  sociology  or  education  or 
household  economics.  The  furlough  is  his  great  oppor- 
tunity for  study  at  one  of  the  educational  centers  of  the 
country,  and  he  should  make  the  most  of  it. 

Our  treatment  has  run  the  danger  of  being  theoretical. 
An  ideal  situation  has  been  depicted.  This  has  been  neces- 
sary in  the  nature  of  the  case.  No  one  man  or  woman 
will  follow  exactly  the  evolution  presented  here.  Yet  if 
the  convictions  of  the  wisest  missionaries  and  mission  board 
secretaries  are  of  any  value,  the  mode  of  procedure  herein 
given  must  be  followed  if  the  best  results  are  to  flow 
from  the  largely  increased  emphasis  which  is  to  be  placed 
upon  the  production  of  literature  on  the  mission  field, 

A very  delicate  question  is  that  of  the  permanence  or 
the  temporary  character  of  the  assignment  to  literary  work 
on  the  part  of  any  worker.  Is  he  to  be  such  exclusively, 
or,  if  he  be  assigned  to  a special  literary  task,  shall  he 
return  to  his  regular  work  when  that  task  is  completed? 
Or,  again,  will  not  most  men  who  write  do  so  in  connec- 

26 


PREPARATION  FOR  LITERARY  WORK 


tion  with  other  work?  Most  probably  the  last  description 
will  cover  the  actual  experience  of  more  men  and  women 
than  the  others.  But  however  that  may  be,  the  principles 
stated  hold  quite  as  well  for  them  as  for  another  who  may 
be  called  to  give  all  his  time  to  literary  work.  He  must 
have  certain  aptitudes  or  he  would  not  be  chosen  to  devote 
even  a part  of  his  valuable  time  to  writing,  and  he  needs 
training  to  make  himself  more  effective.  In  many  ways 
this  part-time  literary  worker  has  an  advantage.  He  is 
in  the  closest  touch  with  the  people  and  the  church  and  the 
life  of  the  community,  and  nothing  can  compensate  for  any 
lack  here. 

All  that  has  been  said  in  this  report  must  be  interpreted 
in  the  light  of  the  necessity  of  a sense  of  Divine  guidance 
in  entering  and  continuing  in  literary  work.  No  higher 
form  of  service  can  be  imagined.  This  makes  it  impera- 
tive that  the  literary  worker  carry  with  him  at  all  times 
a deep  sense  of  the  Divine  call  to  that  particular  form  of 
service.  If  other  workers  stand  in  need  of  this  conviction 
in  immediate  contact  with  the  pulsing  needs  of  humanity, 
the  more  so  does  the  literary  worker,  partly  isolated  as  he 
is  and  compelled  to  struggle  with  his  problems  alone.  Only 
the  consciousness  of  God’s  presence  will  provide  the  patience 
and  the  energy  to  enable  him  not  to  be  ashamed  as  he 
handles  aright  the  word  of  truth. 


27 


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